


Dad:76

by bushfreak12



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Adoption, Angst with a Happy Ending, Coming of Age, F/M, Family, Gen, Relationship Problems, etc - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-09-13 11:46:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9122149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bushfreak12/pseuds/bushfreak12
Summary: After an argument with his best friend, Jack decides to adopt five kids. Unfortunately, his girlfriend is not too happy with the arrangements and neither is 15-year-old Aleksandra. Life has gone from perfect and unchanging to crazy and stressful, and Jack's just not sure what he can do to change it. But the people around him start to show him that maybe his new life isn't so bad.AKA: Clearly not enough Dad:76 out there.





	1. Welcome to My House

Jack didn’t know what he was doing. He didn’t even really know why. Maybe it had been that conversation with Sally. Maybe it had been Reinhardt and his niece. It had probably been Angela, pressuring him to do something crazy. And somehow that had led him here, sitting in a waiting room. The papers were signed, the arrangements were made, and now Jack wondered if he had made a terrible mistake.  
How had he gotten here? Sure, Angela had pissed him off, telling him he was going nowhere. He was somewhere; he had a steady job, a nice house, hell, even a girlfriend! Their argument wasn’t enough to send him over the edge, was it?  
Apparently it was seeing as he was now the guardian of five.  
Five was a lot. Under normal circumstances, the agency probably wouldn’t have given him more than two. Fortunately, their system was so overloaded; they’d practically begged him to take the kids. Money had been offered, but Jack turned it down. He wasn’t doing this for cash.  
So why was he doing this?  
“Mr. Morrison?” Jack looked up at the social worker. She was a plain woman with mousy brown hair pulled into a tight bun. She had told him her name, but Jack had instantly forgotten it. He had yet to see her smile. “They’re ready to go.”  
Jack stood, and the woman led him outside. The parking lot was empty save for a few cars, including his brand new van, and a group of five, familiar kids.  
Over the last two weeks, Jack had become familiar with their faces and names, starting with the oldest, Aleksandra, and finishing with Lena, the youngest. He was pretty sure Aleksandra disliked him, but the others had seemed to accept him. They perked up when they saw him. One, a boy with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes jumped up from the ground and ran forward. Jack grunted as the kid smacked into his leg.  
“Jack!” Jesse cried. “We’re going to your house today. Isn’t that cool?”  
“Uh, yeah,” Jack said. “Mind letting go?” Jesse grinned, revealing a missing incisor. That was new.  
“You’ll have a six week probation period,” the social worker informed him. “If within that time something doesn’t work out, call us, and we’ll take the children. After six weeks though, they’re yours.”  
Jack nodded. “Yes, thank you.”  
She just stared. After an awkward moment, Jack turned away.  
“Remember, Mr. Morrison. Call us.”  
Jack suppressed a shiver.

 

The van was quiet as Jack drove through the city. Most of the kids were silent, looking out the window or resting their eyes. Jesse though was firing finger guns at the nearby vehicles, a soft “pwew” for each shot. Used to complete silence while driving, Jack found the sound incredibly distracting. He was half-tempted to ask the kid to stop, but he had a feeling Jesse couldn’t help it with his ADHD. Once that had just been called “being a kid”, but the social workers had assured Jack that the condition was “very serious” and should be taken as such.  
Stopping at a light, Jack glanced at his rear-view mirror again. Lena had fallen asleep, her small head resting on Aleksandra’s lap. It looked uncomfortable with the seatbelt, but the little girl seemed unperturbed. Maybe she was used to it. Aleksandra herself had her eyes closed, but Jack couldn’t tell if she was really asleep or not.  
A honk startled Jack out of his thoughts, and he slammed his foot on the gas pedal in response. He quickly rectified his speed, but checking the mirror, a middle finger presented itself to him.  
“Thanks buddy,” Jack muttered under his breath. He hated the city; the suburbs were much kinder. Another glance into the mirror, and there was a small smirk on Aleksandra’s face.

 

Jack was relieved when his house came into view. Two hours of awkward almost silence. Two hours of glancing nervously at mirrors. Two hours of “pwew, pwew, pwew”. If this was how parenting was going to be, Jack was tempted to dial up his cellphone and forget it all. He didn’t, if only because he could see Angela’s face in his mind. Smug, eyebrows cocked irritatingly and mouth twisted into a sly smirk. “Told you,” she would say. He would show her; he could deal with anything. He could deal with five kids. Easy. Simple. No big deal.  
It was already the hardest thing he’d ever done, and he’d only been at it for a couple of hours.  
He pulled into the driveway, shut off the engine, and pulled the keys out of the ignition. They sat in silence for a moment; Jesse had noise-making had quieted. Then finally a tiny voice came from the backseat. “Your house is really big.” Jack frowned slightly at the awe in Lena’s voice. His house wasn’t really all that impressive. It was a townhouse just like the ones around it. The white paint was peeling slightly, and one of the second floor windows didn’t shut all the way. Sure, it was larger than most of the others around it, but it wasn’t a mansion or anything.  
“It needs to be,” Jack replied. “There’s a lot of you.” Lena smiled, and that brightened up her entire face.  
Aleksandra’s darkened.  
“Well come on,” Jack sighed, climbing out of the vehicle. Seat belts came free as the kids followed him out of the van to the trunk where their bags were. He began lifting suitcases and putting them on the ground for each kid to take. The agency had supplied them with standard, black cases with name tags for their personal items. They were small bags. Jesse and Lena took their cases with excited smiles, but Aleksandra grabbed hers from the van before Jack could touch it and stalked towards the house. Jack stared after her, objections hot on his tongue.  
“Mr. Morrison?” The soft voice distracted his gaze, and Jack looked down at the older boy beside him. Hanzo looked back, narrow dark brown eyes calm. “Don’t worry about Aleksandra. She is feeling a bit frustrated at the moment.” Jack stopped, then shrugged to himself. Hanzo had shown before that while quiet, he was observant. Jack handed him his suitcase just as a similar-looking boy peeked around the side of the van. Genji and Hanzo were actual blood brothers; they had managed to stick together, in part thanks to Aleksandra.  
She had kept the entire group connected. Jack had heard plenty of tales of her exploits. The youth had grown attached to the others in the system and had vowed to keep the group together. From things as simple as sending letters and Christmas and birthday gifts to feat as serious as running away from several homes, Aleksandra had fought to keep her family together. It was what had interested Jack in the first place. He’d thought taking the lot would improve his chances. Apparently though, Aleksandra was not too keen on the idea of making things easy.  
“Thanks for the advice,” Jack grunted, slamming the trunk closed. Hanzo shrugged modestly, but a smile tugged at the edge of his mouth. Genji kicked at a rock.  
Aleksandra was leaning against the door moodily, Jesse and Lena babbling excitedly to each other in front of her. She glared at Jack before stepping aside to let him unlock the door. Jack suppressed the urge to smile. Wasn’t his fault if she was impatient.  
The house was dark, the lights all off for Jack’s absence. He let the kids file in before flipping the switch beside the door, illuminating the living room. Lena immediately ran for the couch, flopping across it. Jack raised a brow. Well she would have no trouble settling in.  
“The bedrooms are upstairs,” Jack said, motioning towards the staircase. The younger ones rushed up while Hanzo and Aleksandra followed calmly behind. Jack trailed after them, eyeing the younger ones just in case they tripped. Reinhardt’s niece had once done that; she’d broken her wrist. Jack had been paranoid ever since. When Sally’s family had visited for Thanksgiving, he’d banned her nieces and nephews from the stairs altogether. Nobody had argued with him. Still didn’t stop one of the older twerps from running up them on a dare.  
Sally didn’t bring her family over anymore.  
On the second floor, Jack turned on the hall light and began playing tour guide. “Bathroom’s here,” he announced, rapping on the door. “Try not to leave the seat up. Sally hates that.”  
“Who’s Sally?” Genji interrupted.  
“My girlfriend. You’ll meet her soon enough. My room’s at the end of the hall; knock if you need something.”  
“You didn’t tell us you had a girlfriend,” mused Genji. “Why isn’t she here now?” Jack held back a sigh. She would’ve been there, but unlike Angela, Sally wasn’t too amused by his actions. She’d been avoiding him ever since he’d begun putting in paperwork. She would come around. Eventually.  
Jack didn’t tell Genji this. Instead he said, “She’s working.” Which was technically the truth. She waited tables at a restaurant in town and worked 12 to 7 five days a week. She wouldn’t be home for hours. Genji seemed to take this as an acceptable answer and let Jack continue.  
“I only had four rooms, so two of you are going to have to share. Hanzo and Genji?” Jack turned to the brothers questioningly. They both nodded, probably used to sharing. “Alright, this is your room. Jesse, that is yours, and yours is next to mine, Aleksandra.” The girl stiffened, but Jack focused on Lena. “And right in the middle is your room, Lena.” He twisted the knob, took a second to pray, and pushed the door open.  
Lena gasped. Jack watched the little girl skip into the room, a look of pure delight on her face. That same Thanksgiving, Sally had managed to convince Jack to let her decorate for her nieces. She had taken one of the guest bedrooms and torn the entire thing apart. It had taken her a full week to paint the walls and replace the carpet. In the end, the room had been turned from a plain white bedroom to a sparkly, pink monstrosity. At the time Jack had despaired, but now, watching Lena, Jack was grateful. No, Lena would have no trouble settling in at all.  
A door slammed, startling Jack. He turned only to find that Aleksandra had disappeared into the room he had pointed out to her. Hanzo met his gaze again, as if reminding Jack of their exchange earlier. But to Jack, this was more than just a bit of frustration. He was sure Aleksandra just plain out hated him.


	2. Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack wonders if this was a good idea.

Jack left the kids to wander on their own as he hunted down a cup of coffee. He sat alone in the kitchen, sipping at his mug. And doing a bit of soul-searching.

                Again the question appeared: Why was he doing this? Jack had never really gotten along with kids; they made him uncomfortable. Whenever Reinhardt came over with his niece, Jack tried to avoid her best he could. It wasn’t that he _disliked_ kids; he just didn’t know what to do around them. He constantly worried that he would upset them or they would hurt themselves or get lost of some other terrible circumstance would occur. It was this fact that had provoked Angela. Reinhardt had brought over her niece again, and Jack had come up with an excuse to leave the room. Angela found him hiding out in the kitchen.

                “You really hate kids, don’t you?” she had said.

                “No. They just make me uncomfortable.” Angela snorted, rolling her bright blue eyes.

                “Is that why you haven’t married Sally yet? Because you’re afraid of having kids?”

                “I’m not afraid of having kids. And my relationships are hardly any of your business.”

                “Jack, come on.” She had shaken her head in frustration, giving him _that_ look, the one that said she thought you were lying. “You and Sally have been dating for _4 years_ , and in that time period you haven’t even had sex!” She cut him off before he could argue. “I understand your views on that. But if you don’t want to have sex before you get married, why haven’t you proposed yet? You aren’t going anywhere with your life, and I don’t want you losing her because of simple apathy!”

                “Angela, I’m fine!”

                “Then prove it.” Jack still remembered the challenge in her eyes, the way she crossed her arms and raised her chin. “I heard there’s quite a lot of kids in the nearby social services center. If you aren’t afraid, offer to take one. They could use it. _You_ could use it.”

                Jack sighed. One. She had said _one_ , but he had gone and adopted _five_. What would she say when she found out he’d not only taken her up on her dare but exceeded it as well? She’d laugh in his face.

                What would _they_ think if they knew he’d adopted them on a dare? Would they be hurt? Would they care? Aleksandra would have a field day, proving he _was_ the jerk she thought he was. He didn’t want to prove her right. Over the past two weeks, Jack had grown to somewhat life the kids. Now that they were in his house, he genuinely wanted them to feel comfortable. Were those the feelings of a jerk fulfilling a dare? Jack wasn’t sure.

                A small head poked into the kitchen, choppy brown hair falling over her freckled face. “Jack?” Lena called. “I’m hungry.” His eyes flicked to the clock on the wall; it was almost 3. Not early enough for lunch but not late enough for dinner either. But time for a snack?

                “Do you like fruit?” Lena nodded. Jack reached across the bar into the fruit basket, pulling out an apple. He handed it to Lena.

                “Whenever you’re hungry, you can come get an apple or something,” he told her. She nodded again, holding the fruit to her chest.

                “Thanks,” she said. Jack turned away, expecting her to scamper away. To his surprise, she climbed up on a stool beside him and bit a chunk out of the apple. Reinhardt’s niece had never done that before. He shrugged, trying to ignore the little warmth in the pit of his stomach.

Dinner preparations started an hour later. Jack decided on spaghetti since it was easy to make and brought out a large pot to boil the water in. As he was starting on heating up the sauce, the noodles cooking in the pot, the boys wandered into the kitchen.

                “Is that dinner?” Genji asked.

                “Yep.” Jack turned the stove on for the sauce.

                “You can cook?”

                “Yep.”

                “Why doesn’t your girlfriend cook?” Jack stared at the boy. Genji didn’t seem to notice Jack’s exasperation.

                “She’s not here, kid,” Jack explained. “Besides, Sally doesn’t like to cook.” Genji opened his mouth again, but Jack spoke over him. “What’s Lena up to?”

                “She’s helping Alek,” Jesse said, studying the food. “How long until it’s done?”

                “Few minutes.” Jesse’s expression turned guarded.

                “Right. I’ll… uh… be down when it’s done. I need to… uh… unpack.” He fled the room. At Jack’s questioning look, Hanzo sighed.

                “He doesn’t like setting the table.” Oh. It occurred to Jack then that his was not the first house they had lived in. They had probably lived in dozens of homes, each with different rules and expectations. Jesse had probably been forced to do a chore he hated in multiple of those homes. Genji was probably used to a woman doing to the cooking.

                But those had been foster homes, temporary places to live. After six weeks, this would be their permanent house. Did they realize that? Did _he_ realize that?

                These thoughts troubled Jack as he finished cooking dinner, finally pouring the sauce onto the noodles and mixing the two together. Genji and Hanzo watched with interest. Jack wasn’t sure if that interest was in the process or the food itself.

                “Can one of you get the others?” Jack asked, careful to sound relaxed. He didn’t want to make it seem like a chore. Thankfully, Genji hopped to attention, running out of the room.

                “I can set the table,” Hanzo offered. Jack paused.

                “Uh, alright,” he agreed slowly. “Here, I’ll get out the dishes.” Hanzo worked without complaint, taking the plates and forks and setting them neatly on the table. Jack placed glasses at each plate.

                Nobody came down the stairs. Jack became antsy, and he started pacing the kitchen. What was taking them so long? Even Hanzo was beginning to shift worriedly.

                Finally Jack decided he couldn’t wait any longer. “Stay here,” he ordered Hanzo, too annoyed to be civil. Hanzo nodded quickly as Jack rushed into the living room and up the stairs. Raised voices reached his ears.

                “C’mon, Alek,” Genji was shouting. “The food’s ready, and I’m hungry.” Jack reached the top of the stairs where he found Genji, Jesse, and Lena standing outside Aleksandra’s closed door. Genji was pressed up against the door, face scrunched up in worry and confusion.

                “So go eat,” came the reply.

                “Aren’t you coming?”

                “No.” Genji’s frown deepened.

                “But Jack said-“

                “I don’t give a _damn_ about what Jack said,” Aleksandra yelled through the door. All three kids flinched, and Genji’s face crumpled into a hurt expression.

                Jack snapped. He didn’t care if Aleksandra spat and cursed at him. He didn’t care if she hated his goddamn guts. But that didn’t give her the right to yell at the ones she did love.

                Suppressing his anger for a moment, he laid a hand on Genji’s shoulder. The boy looked up at him with mournful eyes. “Go downstairs,” Jack murmured shortly. Slowly, Genji stepped away from the door, rubbing at his eyes with his wrist.

                “C’mon guys,” he sniffled, and the three kids made their way down.  Jack watched them go, waiting until he was sure they were safely out of earshot. Then he turned to the door.

                “I know you can hear me,” he called, struggling to keep his voice eve. He would _not_ yell. “What you just did won’t be tolerated.” Silence. Jack didn’t care. He went on.

                “I know you hate me, and I know you don’t trust me. But, goddammit, take that out on me! Don’t yell at them; definitely don’t swear at them.”

                “You are not my father,” Aleksandra snarled. Jack stopped. He stood there, in front of that door, for what seemed an eternity.

                He _wasn’t_ her father. He was some idiot who adopted kids on a dare. Sally had said it too. She’d told him it was crazy. But he’d done it, and it was over with… It wasn’t over with. It had only been a couple of hours. He could call the agency, tell them to come and take the kids. They’d leave, and Sally would relax. Jack wouldn’t have to deal with a moody teenager and an annoying responsibility.

                It would be over.

                _Call us, Mr. Morrison._ _She’d_ seen it then; she’d known he wasn’t cut out for this. And he wasn’t, dammit, he wasn’t. Sally had known it too.

                “What are you doing, Jack?” she had asked. “You hate kids!”

                “I don’t,” he’d argued. He still remembered the sound of her frustrated sigh.

                “I’m late for work,” she had said, “Call me when you come to your senses.”

                Call.

                “Jack?” The boy’s voice was tentative and thick with tears. Slowly Jack turned to face him. Genji’s eyes were red and fearful, and he was sniffling. Genji was tall for his age, but in that moment he looked incredibly small. “Are you…” He hesitated. “Are you going to send us back?”

                Before Jack could even open his mouth, Genji was talking again.

                “Please don’t. We all really like it here. Lena still hasn’t stopped talking about her room, and Jesse thinks it’s cool that he gets his _own_ room and I really like the backyard.” The boy was openly crying now, hiccupping and choking on his words. “And Hanzo and Jesse think you’re cool, and I think you’re cool too, and Lena thinks you’re her dad, and… and…” He broke off, lowering his head.

                Jack stood.

                “Let’s go eat,” he said quietly, joining Genji at the staircase. Genji sniffed loudly and rubbed at his eyes. But he walked down with Jack’s hand on his back, calming down. As they came to the base of the stairs, Jack pulled out his cellphone, showing it to Genji.

                The boy watched as Jack deleted the agency’s number.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was simple and hard to write. I knew I wanted to write it, but I also knew that it would be emotionally hard since I know each of the character's perspective on things. The reader only knows Jack's; I know Genji's and Aleksandra's. It was fun to write though, and I'm satisfied with how the chapter ended.


	3. Meetings and Tension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack gets a call and takes the kids on a trip.

Rattling. Jack groaned at the noise, shifting to block it out. He hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep yet. More rattling.

                Wearily, Jack turned over and reached for the bedside table, fumbling for his phone and grumbling.

                Last night's events had kept him up far longer than he would've liked. Jack had assured the kids he was not abandoning them over dinner only for Sally to call. When he mentioned who he was eating with, she had promptly hung up. Aleksandra never came down to eat. It had then been discovered that Lena had forgotten to pack her toothbrush, forcing Jack to run to Walmart for a new one. Only he didn't dare leave the kids, so they came too, excluding one stubborn teenager.

                Lena asked for every toy in the store, Jesse wandered off and got lost, and Jack wondered if Genji ever breathed, the kid talked so much. To wrap up the night, Aleksandra had apparently thought it would be funny to leave a broken glass all over the kitchen floor and blast some heavy metal through the stereo as a welcoming gift. And then leave a shoe on the stairs for him to trip on. It was safe to say Aleksandra insisted on being a problem child.

                It had been around midnight before Jack even saw his bed. And then he had tossed and turned because Sally had sounded _really_ pissed off at him, but he had already decided he was keeping the kids.

                Finally finding his phone, Jack didn't bother looking at the caller ID before answering. A familiar, female voice came through.

                "Where are you?" Angela asked, a hint of irritation in her voice.

                "Home?" Jack answered, confused at the question. Where else would he be?

                "Are you on your way?" The question made Jack sit up. He was missing something.

                "No," he said truthfully, "I just woke up." Angela was silent.

                "Jack, it's 1:00 in the afternoon."

                That woke him up real quick.

                "What?!" he cried, throwing himself out of bed. Sure enough, the digital clock on his bedside table confirmed her words. How had he slept in so late?

                The kids. Jack bounded out of his room to find their doors open, bedrooms empty. "Jack?" Angela said in his ear. "What's wrong?"

                "I slept late," he snapped, jogging down the stairs. Thankfully he heard voices from the living room, so he slowed his pace.

                "I know," Angela said dryly. "Rein and I have been waiting for half an hour now."

                "For me?"

                "Yes? You're the one who set the date." When Jack didn't answer, Angela groaned. "Bowling at Watchpoint, Jack. Y'know, to congratulate Rein on his promotion?" Jack groaned, sitting down on the stairs. He'd been so wrapped up in the kids and Sally, he had completely forgotten Reinhardt. After years at the local mechanics shop, Ana had finally promoted him to assistant manager. Angela and Jack had promised Rein a day at Watchpoint, a bowling alley they all frequented. And Jack had forgotten.

                "He there?" Jack asked. A moment later he heard Rein's booming 'hello'.

                "Hey Rein," Jack sighed. "I'm sorry; I completely forgot about today."

                "And what's your excuse?" Reinhardt asked. Jack pulled the phone away; Rein didn't have a lot of volume control.

                "Well, a lot's been going on what with the kids and-"

                "The kids?!" Jack cringed, pulling the phone away again. "You mean you have them?"

                "Yeah." Rein laughed.

                "You should've led with this! Why didn't you tell Angela or I?" Jack shrugged through Reinhardt couldn't see him.

                "I was busy." Reinhardt laughed again though not as earth shatteringly as before.

                "Forgive us then. And I forgive you, of course. When can we visit?" Jack blinked. It hadn't occurred to him that Reinhardt and Angela would _want_ to meet the kids. He realized now that was stupid; Angela had been the one to provoke Jack after all. But Sally had been so _furious_...

                "I'll get back to you on that," Jack said slowly.

                "Of course. Have a good day!"

                "You too." Reinhardt hung up, leaving Jack alone on the stairs, listening to the kids. They seemed to be playing a game of pretend. Jesse was trying to convince Lena to be a princess; she wasn't having it.

                "Good afternoon, Mr. Morrison." Jack started, swearing loudly. Hanzo had seemingly materialized out of nowhere beside him. He smiled down at Jack, looking amused by his outburst. There was a large book in his hand, but without its cover Jack didn't know the title. "Did you sleep well?"

                "Fine," Jack murmured, staring at Hanzo. How had he done that? It was as if he'd melted out of the ether! Jack overcame his shock and stood, straightening his wrinkled shirt.

                "I apologize for startling you," Hanzo said, tone laughing. Jack frowned at the dark-haired boy. How _had_ he appeared so suddenly? Jack had been upstairs only moments ago and seen nothing.

                "It's fine," Jack said again. "Have you eaten?" Hanzo shrugged.

                "We may have raided your refrigerator. Alek came down and ate as well. We would've waken you, but I decided you needed the rest." Jack nodded. It was good to hear that Aleksandra had left her room; part of him had worried she'd try and starve herself.

                An idea came to mind.

                "Is she still down here?" Jack asked. Hanzo nodded. "Is everyone dressed?" Another nod. "Let's go then.

 

Aleksandra had responded fairly well to Jack's proposal. Especially after Lena had begged her to agree.

                Jack was rather pleased with himself as he listened to Jesse and Genji jabber behind him.  They all seemed excited at the idea of bowling, and even Aleksandra had seemed surprised at the offer. Hanzo had announced he wouldn't bowl, but he would help Lena when she needed it. The kids were excited, and Jack was fulfilling a promise.

                Watchpoint was technically a casino, but in the side was a sizable bowling alley for families. The alley had only fifteen lanes, and there was a bar in the back. It was where Jack and his friends spent time together. Even Sally joined in once in a while.

                Jack herded the kids in through the back entrance, where he knew Rein and Angela would be. They always bought Lane 2, and if it wasn't available, they bought Lane 4. Today the alley was fairly empty, so Angela and Reinhardt were on 2. Rein was up to bowl, and he seemed to be going after a 2 pin spare. Jack smiled to himself.

                Rein missed one of the pins, a string of German swears escaping him.

                "Nine!" Jack shouted, startling Jesse beside him. Angela and Reinhardt turned in surprise.

                "Jack!" Angela cried out in greeting. "I thought you weren't..." Her voice trailed off when she saw who he had brought along. Jack shrugged.

                "Figured I could kill two birds with one stone," he said. Reinhardt grinned.

 

After paying for a couple of games, Jack led the kids back to Lane 2 where Angela and Reinhardt waited. The two eyed the group curiously.

                "Guys, these are my friends Dr. Angela Ziegler and Reinhardt Wilhelm," Jack said, gesturing to the both of them. "Angela's a doctor, and Rein is a mechanic."

                "Hello," Angela said, smiling. Jack noticed she was wearing lip-gloss, which was weird because she didn't usually wear makeup. Her ash blonde hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, and she was wearing a white blouse and jeans. That was more like her.

                "Yes, hello!" Reinhardt boomed. His graying hair was slicked back, and he wore a grease stained pair of jeans and a gray t-shirt. Reinhardt was as large as his voice, so the shirt looked a bit strained.

                It wasn't Rein and Angela Jack was worried about though. He looked down at the kids, glancing at Aleksandra. How would they react to meeting Jack's friends? If Aleksandra hated Jack, would she hate them too?

                "Rein, Angela," Jack continued, a little more nervously, "This is Aleksandra, Hanzo, Genji, Jesse, and Lena."

                Jack couldn't believe it when Aleksandra stepped forward, holding out her hand. And said something in German.

                "Nett, Sie kennenzulernen; Ich bin Aleksandra," she said.

                Reinhardt perked up, a surprised smile spreading across his face. He took Aleksandra's hand and shook it. "Du sprichst Deutsch?" he said. Jack looked to Angela to translate, but she was staring at Aleksandra.

                "A little bit," Aleksandra said, switching back to English. "It was my elective in a few citites."

                Jack looked at Hanzo. "Can any of you speak German?" Hanzo shook his head.

                "I know a tiny bit of Japanese," he supplied, "But Alek's the only one who speaks anything other than English."

                "Can we bowl now?" Lena complained. Reinhardt laughed.

 

Even though very few of them had ever bowled before, Jack was surprised to see how well they did. After he showed them what to do, they quickly got the hang of it. While Angela and Reinhardt continued their game on 2, Jack and the kids played beside them on 3. Lena creamed the older boys even if she did have help from Hanzo.

                Aleksandra was a natural. Jack watched her bowl spare after spare and struggled to keep up though he apparently had more experience. Reinhardt found this incredibly funny and praised Aleksandra in German often.

                "He wins too often," Rein told her. "It will serve him right to lose." Spurred on by her dislike of Jack, Aleksandra won by two points. The other kids cheered her on, and Reinhardt even gave the girl a crushing hug.

                Jack couldn't believe it, and not that he'd lost. How was it that Aleksandra and he got along so terrible, and yet she and Rein were already ragging each other like lifetime friends? He was calling her _"Alek"_ for heaven's sake!

                As they started the second game, Genji leaned over to Jack. A question burned in his eyes. "Yes, Genji?" Jack asked, keeping his eyes on Lena. She held the ball in both arms and was swinging it between her legs. Hanzo stood nearby, just in case.

                "Why'd you say 'nine' earlier?" The question caught Jack offguard, and he looked at Genji, laughing.

                "It's a personal joke," Jack explained. "In German, ' _nein'_ means no. So whenever Rein bowls nine pins, I shout 'nine' to tease him." Genji scrunched up his face.

                "I don't get it." Just then a weight crashed into Jack. He grunted in surprise as Lena threw her arms around his neck.

                "Look! I got a strike! Look, Dad!"

                Jack froze in her grip. She immediately let go of him, backing away.

                There was fear in her eyes. Jack swallowed. He was suddenly away of Aleksandra's gaze, watching him.

                They were all watching him, tense. Waiting.

                "Sorry about that," Jack said, pushing down all of the fear and worry he felt. "You startled me." For a moment he thought Lena didn't believe him. But then she relaxed, and the fear was gone.

                "See?" she cried, excited again.

                "I do. Good job, Lena." She skipped to her seat at the table, beaming, and Genji rose to take his bowl. She looked so happy, so content. It was difficult to imagine there had been such cold fear in her eyes only moments before. Fear of him.

                He hadn't meant to scare her. Guilt pressed down on Jack. He shouldn't have reacted that way. He was being an idiot. She had only called him 'dad'.

                Jack pretended that didn't bother him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not speak German. So the fact that three characters in this story are somewhat fluent in the language is sort of annoying. If there are any grave errors, blame Google Translate. And feel free to correct me.  
>  Meetings and Tensions: In which the author introduces the older characters, gives Aleksandra time to relax, and screws Jack over even more than she did in previous chapters.   
>  Writing is fun.
> 
> Story Time: Watchpoint is based off of a bowling alley my family frequents. "Nine" comes from a game between my father and I. We kept bowling nine pins, and so we started screaming "NINE" at the top of our lungs. The fact that it means no in German makes it even more hilarious. "Oh, you want a spare? NEIN!"   
>  Yes, we are weird. But the whole experience definitely influenced Jack and Reinhardt's relationship. In bowling I would say I'm more similar to Rein; I just can't catch a break.


	4. Chicken Nachos

Aleksandra may have won the first game, but it was Jack who won the second. He managed to pull ahead of everyone, including Rein and Angela, and not by a few points either. On the outside, Jack was self-assured, calm, and maybe a bit arrogant.

He felt anything but.

As the kids returned their shoes, Jack remained seated, staring at the darkened lane. He didn’t understand it; he had been so relaxed. And then Lena had called him “dad”. Why did that bother him so much? Wasn’t it true?

Jack frowned at the thought. No, he wasn’t their father. A father was someone who’d been there. Jack had been around for two days. And besides, Aleksandra clearly didn’t trust him yet. Until she could trust him, until Lena could look at him without fear, he wasn’t “dad”.

“Jack?” Angela sat before him, blue eyes narrowed in concern. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he lied. Angela glowered.

“You’re an awful liar, Morrison. This is about earlier when Lena hugged you.” Jack grimaced. Well, he hadn’t exactly been subtle. Angela cocked an eyebrow. “What’s that all about?”

“I’m not comfortable with the word,” he muttered. “That’s all.” Angela gave him a knowing look.

“You weren’t comfortable with kids either,” she pointed out. Jack opened his mouth to argue, but the kids had returned and Jesse was complaining that he was hungry. Later, Angela mouthed; Jack looked at her darkly. Angela’s “laters” were always either scoldings or debates; Jack wasn’t a fan of either.

“Shall we go to Oasis then?” Rein asked. Jack grimaced, and Rein’s face fell. Jack immediately felt guilty. Oasis was their favorite restaurant, and it was Rein’s day. He had the right to choose the food. Even if that meant facing Sally.

“Oasis sounds wonderful,” Angela sighed, stretching lazily. She apparently hadn’t noticed Jack’s reaction. Rein looked at him, questioning. Jack nodded. It would be fine. He and Sally were fine.

“What’s Oasis?” Genji wondered, rocking on his feet.

“It’s a restaurant,” Angela explained. “They have wonderful soup. Your dad and I go all the time.” Jack started, and Angela gave him the slightest of smirks before she was smiling innocently at Rein. “Who’s paying, Reinhardt? Me or Jack?” Rein grinned, but the smile was forced. His brows were narrowed, and his eyes kept flickering to Aleksandra. Jack didn’t dare look.

“Is there a restroom?” Her voice was strangled. Rein pointed, and his eyes followed the girl as she left. Jack frowned. His friends were too observant for his own good. If Rein hadn’t known Aleksandra disliked Jack before, he sure did now.

It was decided Jack would pay seeing as he had bought an unexpected entourage. He didn’t mind; it was fair. Rein and Angela cracked jokes at Jack’s expense, and the kids enjoyed it. Jack caught even Hanzo chuckling at the mockery. Eventually Angela rejoined them, face devoid of emotion, and they split for the vehicles.

* * *

 

Where Watchpoint was lazy and relaxed, Oasis was packed. The restaurant was a local favorite, and it always had customers. It was why Sally worked such long hours.

The interior was dimly lit, the windows veiled and tiny candles lit on the sills. The floor was carpeted with a dark red shag, and the walls were an emerald green color with gold patternings. Usually they would sit in a booth, but this time they were led into the back room reserved for larger groups. It was slightly disorienting; Jack had never been in the back. He’d never been with enough people.

A few of the other customers shouted greetings to Rein, and as he talked to them Jack focused entirely on his menu. Most of Oasis’ food was ridiculously over seasoned for Jack’s taste, but he did appreciate their soups. Usually he went for the chicken vegetable, but maybe he could try the chowder instead.

“Psst.” Jack looked away from his menu to find Lena was staring up at him, a look of concern on her face. “What tastes good?” Jack’s mind went blank. What would taste good to a seven year old? Angela was eyeing him from behind her menu.

“Well,” Jack muttered slowly, “Let’s take a look.” He quickly thumbed through the menu until he located the kids’ section. It was a clear step away from the spiced meats and noodles Oasis specialized in. “What’s your favorite food, Lena?” Lena scrunched up her face in thought.

“Nachos,” she decided. Jack resisted the urge to sigh; Oasis did not offer nachos.

“Okay,” he drawled, thoughts racing. “How about the chicken strips? You can dip them in ranch or salsa, just like with chips.” Lena considered.

“Yeah, but do they taste good?”

“Yes,” Jack said. Actually, he’d never been a fan of fried chicken, but he wasn’t too confident on voicing that opinion. It seemed to be enough for Lena because she happily declared she was having “chicken nachos”. And that inspired an entire argument between Jesse and Lena whether or not chicken nachos existed. Jack managed to get everyone’s order to the waitress anyway.

Surprisingly enough Jack did not see Sally. It was a small restaurant; he’d thought he’d spot her instantly. She had to be in the back room. Or avoiding him.

Rein returned to the table just as their food arrived. He moaned gleefully into the noodles Angela had ordered for him, thanking the waitress thoroughly. Angela snickered.

“So, you all seem to get along well,” Angela noted. “Did you already know each other?” There was a chorus of agreement. Angela smiled, giving a thoughtful ‘huh’. “How are you all liking your new home?” Jack almost choked on his food; dammit, Angela! He was really beginning to regret this little excursion.

“My room is pink!” Lena squealed.

“The house is huge!” Genji added excitedly. “And there’s a swing in the backyard!” Angela’s smile grew soft.

“Yes, I know,” she murmured, “I helped build that swing.” Jack remembered it well. He’d been dating Sally for about a year then, and they’d all been close friends even then. Reinhardt and Angela had built the swing in hopes that Sally would like it, and she seemed to at first. Lately though the swing hadn’t been used; Jack had almost forgotten it existed.

“When did you move in?” Rein grunted through his food.

“Yesterday afternoon,” Jack replied. Rein hummed in appreciation.

“Must still be settling in then.” 

“Yes,” Hanzo interjected, “We are still growing accustomed to the idea of a permanent home.” Jack shifted in his seat. Hanzo’s face was expressionless; he showed nothing to betray how  _ he  _ felt about the entire situation. After the last few weeks Jack had managed to get an idea of each kid’s personality and their view towards him, but Hanzo was still a mystery to him. It was obvious that whatever Hanzo felt, he’d keep it under an air of maturity.

But that kind of attitude was beyond his age; Jack knew that much. Jack wondered if Hanzo was really alright with the adoption, or if he agreed with Aleksandra’s insistence that it was a mistake. How long would Hanzo be able to hide his thoughts?

“Do you like cowboys?” All eyes turned to Jesse at the unexpected question. He stared expectantly at Angela. Angela stared back for a moment, surprised, and then she laughed.

“Yes!” she exclaimed. “I love old westerns; have you seen any?” Jesse nodded quickly.

“I had a foster home once,” he said, “And the guy had tons of movies. He let me watch them sometimes, and there was this one about a cowboy named Mccree. He shared my first name, and it was really cool!” Mccree? That name sounded familiar…

“Don’t you have that movie, Jack?” Rein asked. Jesse’s eyes snapped to Jack.

“Yeah,” Jack said, “Now that I think about it, I think I do.  _ Annihilation _ , right? About the guy who runs around the West trying to stop some gang.”

Jesse’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out and roll around the floor. “You  _ have _ it?” The kid then looked down, dropping his fork on his plate. Jack felt a wave of alarm as Jesse put his head on the table, what sounded like a strangled sob escaping the boy. Jack just barely caught Hanzo rolling his eyes, and Aleksandra actually sighed.

“Uh, Jesse?” Jack hesitantly touched the kid’s shoulder. Jesse was now visibly shaking in his effort to control his sobs. “You okay, kid?”

“I’m not crying,” Jesse wailed. “I’m not.” Jack looked to Angela and Rein, but they seemed to be at as much as a loss as he was. And it was seeing the look of alarm and confusion on his best friends’ faces that caused Jack to snap. First it was a smile. And then he was laughing because the whole entire thing was  _ just so damn funny _ !

He’d made Jesse cry in happiness because he happened to have a movie.

Angela stifled a giggle, and Rein was grinning openly as Jack guffawed. “I’m sorry,” Jack managed to choke out. “I don’t know what came over me.”

“Jack Morrison,” Rein chuckled, “Did you just laugh? Over a kid crying for a movie?” Jack coughed away another giggle.

“Maybe. Sorry, Jesse.” Jesse looked miserable, and his expression was enough to make Jack sober up a bit. Genji was smiling knowingly.

“Jesse loves that movie,” he noted. “He told us all about it.”

“He never shut up,” Aleksandra muttered. “Now he’ll be insufferable.”

“Leave me alone,” Jesse complained. He looked up at Jack, face flushed in embarrassment. “But… c-can I watch it when we go home?” Jack didn’t bother trying to hide his grin.

“Yeah, I’ll watch with you if you want.” Jesse’s entire face lit up, and he let loose a little “yes!” of excitement. As he returned to his food, a thought came to Jack. He wondered again about Jesse’s previous homes. Had anyone offered to watch movies with him? Had anyone spent time with this kid? Had anyone cared enough to listen to him, to play with him, to learn who Jesse was?

Jack had never been comfortable around kids, but he was willing to change that. Honestly, other than Aleksandra’s constant moodiness, Jack didn’t mind having the kids around. It was surprising and a little overwhelming, but again Jack a small seed of hope in the pit of his stomach. He  _ wanted _ this to work out; he  _ wanted _ to keep the kids.

He wanted this.

* * *

 

Lunch flew by, and soon enough Jack felt it was time to leave. He exchanged hugs with both Rein and Angela, taking Angela’s first with the knowledge that Rein would crush the life out of him. Genji and Lena were also friendly enough to hug Angela goodbye though Jesse refrained in an attempt to make up for his earlier show of emotion. Even Aleksandra showed a bit of familiarity; she and Rein exchanged a few words in German that had Rein roaring with laughter.

Jack felt content, more so than he had in awhile. He couldn’t stop smiling during the ride home, and he even caught himself whistling as he herded the kids to the door. Jesse was ecstatic, completely ready to watch his promised movie, and his excitement was infectious. Jack laughed again as Jesse described the scenes he was looking forward to the most.

“Okay,” he chuckled, “Calm down and let me unlock the door.” Finally the knob turned, and Jack pushed the door open. The kids rushed past him, but Jack hesitated.

The lights were on. Why would the lights-

Sally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO VERY SORRY!!!!  
> It's been so long since I've updated for this, and I apologize sincerely.  
> Fanfiction.net is also ahead of you guys, and that's not cool on my part.  
> Sorry, so very sorry.
> 
> Ah, the before-mentioned-but-never-actually-seen-girlfriend cometh. This chapter was a bit harder to write; I went through 3 or 4 drafts before deciding on one. Jack is coming around the idea of fatherhood.  
> Angela and Reinhardt are easily my favorite characters, in game and in story. I'm a Mercy main, and there's nothing better than a good Reinhardt backing you up!

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my mind; I hope you enjoyed your stay. I decided there was not enough Dad;76 to be had and came up with my own, twisted, messed up story. Apologies for the foster care/adoption descriptions; I have no idea how these actually work. Hopefully it wasn't too offensive.   
>  I'm actually enjoying writing this; it's funny imagining the Overwatch crew as kids. Especially Zarya. She's such an upbeat, motherly character that writing her as a moody teenager with a grudge against Jack is kind of hilarious. (Shimada fans; don't worry, more is coming.) Lena's rather young in this, so she'll be incredibly young and bubbly and cheerful.  
>  Also "pwew".


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